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It was decided therefore, not to provide vaccination against smallpox from August 1971 at Council
clinics for members of the public and the procedure has been deleted from the basic schedule of protection
offered to young children.
Arrangements are made for all medical, nursing and public health inspectorate staff to be offered
vaccination against smallpox on appointment and re-vaccination at 3-yearly intervals while remaining in
the Council's service.
The distribution of smallpox vaccine to general practitioners continues to be the responsibility of
local health authorities.
RUBELLA VACCINATION
During the year a vigorous attempt was made to vaccinate against rubella all girls between the ages of
eleven and fourteen years.
Eleven schools were each visited three times and 2,617 girls vaccinated.
New entrants to girls'secondary schools will now be offered protection as a routine. This is a long term
policy which, it is hoped, will reduce the number of retarded children born to mothers who contract rubella
during the early months of their pregnancy.
B.C.G. VACCINATION
21 schools were visited, 14 of them twice. 3,317 children were Heaf tested and of these, 3,011 were
given B.C.G. vaccinations. 45 children were found to have positive reactions and were referred to the chest
clinic. 40 children were x-rayed, 10 were found to need treatment and 21 were kept under supervision by
the Chest Physician.
It was decided to lower the age at which B.C.G. was given in order to try to avoid absenteeism when
the B.C.G. team visited the school. It was felt that younger children would be less likely to absent themselves
and B.C.G. is now offered to entrants to secondary schools at age eleven.
HEAF TESTING
It had been decided in 1970 to offer new entrants to Borough primary schools a tuberculin test at age
5 years in an effort to detect unknown cases of tuberculosis in the community, the family contacts of
children producing strongly positive reactions to be followed up at the chest clinic. Various factors prevented
the introduction of this pilot scheme during 1971, but plans were completed for it to commence at the
beginning of 1972.
CHIROPODY
This service is provided for priority categories at seven centres throughout the Borough, i.e. for women
over 60, men over 65, expectant mothers, physically handicapped persons and children under school-leaving
age. Treatment is by appointment, and is free for persons receiving old age and normal retirement pensions,
those on Social Security and children. The charge in other cases is 25p per treatment, but this may be reduced
in necessitous cases. A total of 12 chiropody chairs are currently staffed at the various centres, and provision
is made for a maximum of 95 sessions to be held each week. During 1971 the average number of sessions
held was 82 per week.
In addition, domiciliary treatment is provided for the housebound, and there is a regular weekly flow
of new patients referred for domiciliary visiting.
Considering the national shortage of Chiropodists, the staff situation remained reasonably steady.
Every effort is made to recruit and indications are that the outlook here is improving.
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